By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Leon Edwards retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight championship belt after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington last December 17, 2023, held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Edwards was true to his words when he said that actions speak louder than words as he bullied and dominated Covington who was all bark heading into their highly-anticipated welterweight clash.
From the get-go, Edwards already imposed his will and schooled Covington with his stand-up fight prowess, hitting the challenger with several blows to the head.
In contrast to his bold claims during the pre-fight press conferences, Covington wasn’t the aggressor in the fight and was surprisingly laid back without any momentum in his offense.
Known to be a pressure fighter who likes to take action on the ground, Covington was stagnant in the first three rounds and was getting embarrassed by Edwards’ fluid punches to the head.
Aside from his stand-up fight, Edwards also pulled off an impressive leg kick display that disrupted Covington’s flow when he attempted to grapple with the champion.
Covington started to ramp up his intensity in the fourth round after stalking Edwards around the octagon. However, he still failed to control the ground and was passive with his strikes.
In the fifth and final round, both fighters slugged it out in the middle of the octagon. Covington finally scored a takedown but Edwards got free when he sprawled away in the side cage.
Edwards then put the nail in the coffin when he matched Covington with a successful takedown and finished the round with several right hooks to his face.
“This one was very emotional for me. This guy used my dad’s death as entertainment. Used my dad’s murder as entertainment. It took a lot for me to calm down, stay focused and come into this fight. I talked to my coaches, I talked to my mom and I shut it all down,” said Edwards after the huge win.
